2) Music rights as property: the “bundle of sticks” idea
A powerful way to understand rights is to treat them like property. Not property in the sense of a physical object you can hold—but property in the legal sense: an asset with enforceable control.
In property law, ownership is often described as a bundle of sticks:
- One stick is the right to exclude others (permission).
- Another stick is the right to sell.
- Another stick is the right to transfer to partners.
- Another stick is the right to earn income from use.
- Another stick is the right to authorize derivatives (changes, adaptations).
Music rights work the same way. Owning a song (or part of it) typically means you own certain “sticks” in that bundle.
Why this matters
Many people think ownership is a single yes/no question: “Do I own the song?” But in music, ownership is more often:
- Shared (multiple creators),
- Split (different shares),
- Separated (different assets tied to the same song),
- Transferred (some rights sold, some retained).
So a more accurate question is: “Which rights do I control, and in what percentage?”
Once you think in “sticks,” you stop getting trapped by vague statements like “I own the masters,” or “I paid for the studio.” All of those may be relevant, but none of them automatically answers the complete question of rights control.